Debate contribution: MOT Testing: Backlog

Debate contribution by Mr Stephen Dunne on 11 March 2024.

MLA

Mr Stephen Dunne

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

11 March 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

MOT Testing: Backlog

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4270277

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I am very pleased to have tabled the motion, alongside my two colleagues Deborah Erskine and Keith Buchanan, on this very important and timely issue. I welcome the constructive debate in the Chamber today; many good and valid points have been made. I thank the Minister for his attendance today; it is appreciated. I thought that, when we saw the article coming through, he might not show and might miss his appointment here. We are glad, Minister, that you are here and we appreciate you listening to us all this evening. There has been general agreement throughout the Chamber that the current system needs to be improved and that it is really not working as it should be, despite the efforts of the hard-working staff, which have been acknowledged here today. Trying to get an MOT appointment is a huge challenge for so many people, including for Members. It is one of the most common issues being raised in my constituency office. Some colleagues have mentioned that the way in which the current system operates causes confusion for motorists. That is an important point, and it highlights why we need to see improvements in the system. People are asking whether their vehicles are legally roadworthy, whether they are insured and whether they can get taxed. Those are among the questions facing many motorists every day. As others have rightly stated, it is important to acknowledge the work of the staff in our vehicle testing sites right across the country, and the fact, as was said by a number of Members, that over 1·15 million vehicle tests were completed during 2022-23. The fact that that is the highest number of tests ever recorded in any year is testament to that work. Nobody here is disputing the hard work of the staff, and I certainly did not hear that in the comments made over the past hour-plus. The pandemic, as it did across so many sectors, provided unprecedented challenges, but the time for using the pandemic as an excuse for a poor service is long over. Whilst the number of vehicle tests has increased, as was talked about during the debate, I feel that we had a lack of decisive action and solutions from the previous Infrastructure Minister. Many of these issues were on their desk at that time. Hopefully, however, the current Minister will surprise us all and will take real action to deliver an improved MOT service, which is so greatly needed. Last week, at the Infrastructure Committee meeting, we heard directly from the chief executive of the DVA, who stated that a 72-day wait for an MOT test is now the new normal in Northern Ireland. Indeed, that statistic was carried on a number of local media outlets. Today, however, a constituent, whom I know quite well, contacted me to tell me that although he booked his MOT online today, the first date that he could get at his nearest MOT centre, which is in Newtownards, was 8 August, some 150 days from today's date. That is more than double the new normal, and that is unacceptable. Something has to change, and we need to see innovative ways of doing things coming forward — not just being talked about, but being delivered. We need to see solutions. I believe that the Minister has an opportunity to demonstrate that he is up for action, and this motion affords him that opportunity. I welcome that he has come here today and made some commitments towards action. It is interesting to note that the Newtownards MOT centre conducted the most tests, with almost 11,900 tests completed during the month of January 2024. That is to be commended. It is the centre that I am most familiar with, and it is used daily by my constituents in the neighbouring North Down constituency. As was mentioned, the incredibly high number of missed appointments, with over 50,000 vehicle owners failing to turn up for their MOT, is a cause for concern. That is undoubtedly a contributing factor to the backlog, and we need to look proactively at ways to address that. I also welcome the progress on the new MOT centres and, hopefully, they can be fully opened without any further delays. Mr Harvey might even get 10 lanes if he keeps pressing our new Minister. Another issue that has been raised with me recently is the option of requiring new vehicles to have a first MOT after five years rather than four years. I think that that is a reasonable request, and it is interesting to note that, in GB, it has recently been increased from three years to four years. That shows a direction of travel. I will now turn to remarks that have been made by a number of Members in the debate this evening. The Chair of the Committee for Infrastructure, Deborah Erskine, rightly raised the issue of new cracks appearing on the lifts. That is causing concern, despite what the Minister may have said today. It does create uncertainty, and it raises further questions across our community, particularly given the issues that everybody is so familiar with from a number of years ago. It is alarming, and there is that fear that it will ultimately have an impact on service. Mrs Erskine also highlighted the fact that over half of NI drivers admitted to driving without an MOT, according to a recent survey carried out by Compare NI. She also highlighted the real need for urgent action. Mark Durkan highlighted the stress that is being created for people and the need for people to travel distances to try to get an MOT. He stressed how we in Northern Ireland are highly car-dependent. At our Committee meeting last week, an interesting statistic came through showing that the number of car users is up. I think that that is ironic, given the amount of money that has been spent on discouraging car use through active travel, cycle lanes and so on. Car use is up, and policy needs to reflect that. Mr Durkan, in speaking to his amendment, mentioned biennial testing. Danny Baker talked about the challenges that elderly constituents face in accessing MOTs and about the recruitment issues that are being experienced at a number of our test centres across our country. Peter McReynolds highlighted concerns from his constituents about being unable to get their cars taxed and the need for earlier renewal letters. I think that that is an important point that should be taken on board. Mr McReynolds also talked about the reintroduction of the temporary exemption certificates, and I think that it is worthy to point out how they were useful, particularly during the pandemic. I think that everybody benefited from them, and that was an example of innovative ways and action points that helped people on our roads. John Stewart talked about frustrations and the need for alternatives, and he talked about that during the Committee meeting as well. He also talked about not ruling out a role for car dealerships. I think that it is fair to say that Mr Stewart wanted that to be kept on the table. Keith Buchanan mentioned the previous lift issues and how confidence in our MOT system has been damaged. He highlighted the impact of the most recent cracks on our lifts and the challenges for second-hand car dealers. Indeed, the issue has been shared with me recently of how car dealers' livelihoods are reliant on being able to get an MOT for their vehicles. It raises the question of whether there should be a more dedicated system for car dealers, who are dependent on getting an MOT for their livelihoods. Mr Buchanan finished by talking about the worrying statistic that two thirds of our MOT centres are underperforming in terms of vehicles tested over the five-year period from January 2019 to January 2024. Hopefully, the Minister will have heard my colleague Mr Buchanan on that issue. Patrick Brown talked about the call for evidence on biennial testing from the previous Minister, and he spoke of our system being superior to that of GB. That is an important point. There is a lot of merit in having the independence of our MOT system and the regulation and so on that comes with that. My colleague Mr Harvey talked about the recent changes to our MOT system and how improvements could be made, including the ability to book physically at our test centres rather than just online. Obviously, digital transformation has changed how so many of us do business, but I think that it is always important to point out that some people do not have that online access. Accessibility is an important point to note, so I thank my colleague Mr Harvey for outlining that. Steve Aiken highlighted the significance of the failing lifts issue and the importance of staff safety. Unfortunately, he is not here to hear my comments. David Honeyford pointed out that the Infrastructure Minister has considerable experience, and I think that that is an important point. Minister, you are not one of the newest Ministers, in that you served as Infrastructure Minister after the May 2022 election, I believe, for a number of months. I think that that is an important point that Mr Honeyford made. We are watching you even more closely. It is important to say that. You served for a number of months as Infrastructure Minister fairly recently. Mr Honeyford also highlighted the rise in car ownership. Alex Easton highlighted that the system is broken and the need for action.

Overall, most will agree that we have had a constructive debate this evening. We now need to see action to improve our MOT system. It is important to acknowledge that there is room for improvement. Hopefully, we can improve our testing facilities and, ultimately, our test results. I trust that the Minister will take on board our motion. I commend the motion to the House.

1,662 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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